Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Wednesday, 11 September 2024

BBC News

• Millions raised from clean air zone to support busesMillions of pounds raised through a city's clean air zone (CAZ) charges will be used to support struggling bus services.
• Historic rail subway benefits from £100k revampA Victorian railway station subway has been revamped in a project costing just over £100,000.
• 'I just wanted to know where people came from'A railway worker who is aiming to collect train tickets to a station from every stop in the UK has said he was "just curious to know where people come from".
• Car numbers rise despite 'expensive' low traffic schemeResidents say the project has been a failure that has increased traffic and created safety hazards.
• Pigeon fanciers face eviction by rail network bodyPigeon fanciers face being evicted from their allotment by the body that runs the UK's rail network.

Financial Times

• Foreign carmakers also have a China overcapacity problem None predicted just how fast China’s own industry would develop in the age of EVs
• Wizz Air bets on allure of cheap seats for new low-cost Middle East flightsAirline to begin no-frills service from Europe to Jeddah and Abu Dhabi next year

The Guardian

• BMW shares fall to four-year low as recall of 1.5m cars announcedMini and Rolls-Royce models also affected by potential braking system fault likely to cost BMW almost €1bn. Shares in BMW tumbled as the carmaker revealed it will have to recall 1.5m vehicles over a braking problem, costing it almost €1bn (£0.84bn).The German manufacturer said its annual earnings would be considerably lower than expected, with the fault in the braking system now discovered to be far more widespread than first thought.

The Scotsman

• Why replacing ageing ScotRail trains is sounding like the SNP's pledges on dualling the A9The announcement that ScotRail's ageing inter-city fleet is to be replaced was amongst the most bewildering and vague I've heard for years - and maybe even deliberately so.

Daily Express

• The world's best connected airport is in beautiful city with 1.3k non stop flights a dayThis airport in Europe, launched six years ago, is the world's most connected.

Daily Record

• Firm 'sorry' after Scots train passengers trapped overnight in 12-hour ordealA train bound for Edinburgh was diverted to Glasgow and around just before 5am, hours late.

Birmingham Mail

• Calls for more speed cameras to stop the 'slaughter' on West Midlands roadsA 'road safety emergency' was declared in Birmingham following a string of tragic deaths

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Transport for Wales apologise after one of its new trains leaks onto passengersWelsh Government has invested £800m on a new fleet of Class 197 trains

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Watch: HS2 engineers complete Delta Junction viaduct in two minutes in the West MidlandsTimelapse footage shows HS2 engineers completing two key motorway bridges to transport the high speed rail network in the West Midlands.

Other Regional Press

• Melton Constable Trust determined to bring a train station back to Great Ryburgh to link with Fakenham, Norwich and CromerA charity is determined to bring a village railway line back into use as the next step in its ongoing restoration project.
• Plans for brand-new £18m train station in Barrhead approvedThe green light has been given on Balgray station which will be built on the Glasgow to Neilston line near the Balgray reservoir.
• MP urged to get behind pleas for cash to reinstate railway lineA campaign for a reinstated rail line between Tavistock and Plymouth is calling for government funds of £1.5 million to get the project back on track.

New Civil Engineer

• Spencer Group selected to build £17M wheel lathe facility in Clacton for Greater AngliaSpencer Group has been selected to build a £17M wheel lathe facility in Clacton for Greater Anglia to use to service its rolling stock.
• Transport secretary ‘minded to reject’ £750M Midlands rail freight interchange DCOTransport secretary Louise Haigh is “minded to reject” the development consent order (DCO) for the £750M Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange, subject to further information from the applicant.

Rail Magazine

• Grand Central Class 180 reaches 125mph in ETCS test on ECMLGrand Central 180108 now holds the British speed record using the European Train Control System (ETCS), having reached 125mph during main-line tests between Welwyn Garden City and Hitchin over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Railnews

• Tuesday briefing: Borders Railway extension on hold to save money TUESDAY BRIEFING: Government withdraws Borders Railway funding ++ Line to be closed to prevent landslips ++ Greater Anglia trains more staff to help save lives

Railtech

• Ailing Deutsche Bahn plans 2bn profit in three yearsAfter heavy losses in 2023, Deutsche Bahn (DB) now has a restructuring plan to become profitable within three years. A 110-page internal document apparently lays out the goal of hitting a 2 billion euro profit by 2027. It's set to be discussed at a railway supervisory board meeting on 18 September, but the target may be unrealistic considering the company's recent problems and current solutions.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Back-to-office mandates: A building opportunity for coach and bus?Grand talk of bus franchising and promise of wholesale reform risks overshadowing some parts of the coach and bus industry?s day-to-day work. Moving people from where they are to where they need or want to be will always be its core purpose, not serving as a political chess piece.
• ?Business as usual? future for bus in Strathclyde set to be ruled outA ruling out of ?business as usual? as a mechanism for future delivery of bus services in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) area will form part of the final draft Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy (SRBS) for public consultation.

Other News Sources

• Nominations close for HoC Transport Select Committee chairsThe period of nominations for House of Commons Transport Select Committee chairs, which ran from 30 July to 9 September, has closed. As set out by the Speaker before the summer recess, elections will take place on 11 September from 10am-4pm.
• 'You've got to be responsible': Business secretary refuses to rule out scrapping travel passes for pensionersBusiness and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has refused to rule out scrapping free travel passes for pensioners, saying a 'responsible' government means making decisions 'you don't want to make'.
• Labour Celebrates Significant Bus Reform in DecadesThe government has unveiled new legislation aimed at giving local authorities across England more control over bus services. This is in an effort to halt the sharp decline in bus usage, which has seen nearly 300 million fewer miles driven by buses annually since 2010.
• Manchester and Luton airports slam methodology of latest Which? UK airport surveyUK. Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been named the best travel hub for the third consecutive year in Which??s annual survey of 24 leading UK airport terminals.
• Heathrow hails record-breaking AugustHeathrow achieved its fourth consecutive record-breaking month this summer in August.
• Video: Siemens Mobility welcomes bumper intake of young talent to Goole Rail VillageA video showcasing Siemens Mobility's 24 young people in apprenticeships and graduate roles at its Goole Rail Village, from where the company is assembling new Piccadilly line trains, has been released.
• Work continues on new bridge at Stroud stationWORK IS continuing on the new temporary bridge at Stroud railway station.
• Translink tight-lipped on track services despite Irish Rail listing ?direct train service? from OctoberDirect rail services between Belfast and Dublin could begin on October 7, after cross-border tickets were advertised from that date on Irish Rail?s website.
• 'Cycling on the busy Romsey Road is far too dangerous'Letter to the editor on the traffic situation in Winchester.